47. The Trouble with Heroes. Kate Messner. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j fiction, coming of age, verse novel, mg fiction, poetry]

First sentence: If I were a better kid, this story would begin with my seventh-grade diploma. Instead it starts with this.

Premise/plot: Finn Connelly is in trouble. Over one summer he has the opportunity to set things right, mostly. He'll be making reparations for knocking over a gravestone in the cemetery. (An arrangement with the daughter of the woman's whose gravestone was knocked over, and I believe agreed upon by the court?). He'll be making up missed hours for PE. He'll be making up a poetry assignment--twenty poems on the subject of HEROES. Mission: climb all forty-six mountains in the Adirondack High Peaks. He'll have 'guides' for most of the climbs--men and women who have volunteered to help him out, men and women who love climbing mountains and/or have an interest in helping the kid out. (I could not tell if the coach was particularly interested in hiking so much as that he wanted to help Finn out.) 

Finn is going to hike and climb....write....and grieve. His firefighter father has recently died and his father had PTSD from serving on 9/11.

My thoughts: It made sense for this to be a verse novel. Not all verse novels pass this 'makes sense' test. He is being forced to 'write poetry' and he discovers that it isn't the worst thing in the world. That the process of writing--of writing poems--can be personally helpful. It is very much a coming of age novel. It was good to watch him grow/change throughout the story. This one does offer a few twists and turns on the way. Perhaps I should have seen one of them coming....but I didn't. 

This 'problem novel' is heavy at times but it also contains lighter moments. Finn loves baking for instance.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

61. Grace Notes: Poems About Families. Naomi Shihab Nye. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [poetry, nonfiction]

First sentence (from the introduction): Families. They're our first circle. We wake up to them as babies, clicking into focus, identifying, absorbing...forever discovering who they are. Who we think they are is only one little window.

First poem:
My whole life
would not have happened without
a man whose name I do not know
who died in the snow.
He was young,
had been married only three months
to my mama's best friend.

 

This one is a themed poetry collection; it is without a doubt POETRY. But is it also a memoir or autobiography??? I think one could argue that it might very well be. I believe the author is writing personal poems about HER family. But it's not described as a memoir in its description so I'm hesitant to say emphatically that all the poems are autobiographical and this is a memoir in verse.

The target audience? I think the target audience would be older and not younger. These poems are COMPLEX, layered even. Sure, the words themselves may not be mature in nature, but the meanings and themes are so deep--philosophical and/or abstract in nature--that readers need as much life experience as possible to unpack the meaning. The poems are also REFLECTIVE and best read in the context of how they were written--during the grieving process. The parent-child relationship can be complex no matter the age, but the parent and adult-child relationship is more at play in this collection. It is more a journeying alongside the author as she explores relationships in the family through more adult eyes.

I do NOT under any circumstance expect all books to be written with a Christian point of view. I don't. I don't think that would be fair in general, however, I will note that this one is a patchwork--piecework--of many, many, many religions and spiritual faiths, none of which are particularly Christian. So you have a very reflective, philosophical, abstract book of poetry without a christian world view. This is neither good nor bad--it just is. Again, I do not expect all books to be Christian. 

Quotes

From "How Parents Ever Get Together Anyway"
The fact we exist at all
is a random grace note
of a forgotten symphony.

From "Mother Muscle"
Mother muscles become tough. They have to.
People pulling on them
all the time. Ferocious mamas
stomping through the tangled wilderness
searching for berries. Mamas worrying
night and day.

From "Sides of the Family"
These grandmas did not meet. But I think there were little lines
between them like dotted ripples in a star constellation diagram.
Big Dipper, small dipper, they both shone down on us
all our lives. They were constants.

From "Union Boulevard, St. Louis"
Life
is full of mysteries.
They're not mine, not yours.
They're life's.

From "Out"
No one is big enough to notice
all that might be noticed.
No one is small enough,
no one is big enough.

From "Every Age"
If you open the door
to happiness
what comes through?
Friends come through.
Something new comes through.

 From "Every Age"
Is it possible
to be every age at once,
forever?
Some say so.

From "The Pleaser"
Why do we need someone to say
you make me happy,
you're great.
Is that a basic need
like sleeping and eating?

From "In Morning"

Each morning
we put ourselves together
Try to imagine
what we will do,
gathering tools and
thoughts.
We carry the mysteries
no one explains.

Title: Write a seven-word autobiography right now

• Addicted to simplicity from very first day.
• Ever hopeful, every growing always asking why.
• So many places we haven't seen yet.
• The space around the poem is best.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Angela Joy. Illustrated by Janelle Washington. 2022. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The boy they found was far frome home,
far from Mother and Grandmother.
"Here on a visit," Papa Mose would say.
The sheriff set out to dig a grave that day,
To hide the crime in the mud of Mississippi,
Where no one would see the boy's suffering.
But Mamie did the harder thing.
She said, "No. You send my son home."
It was the braver thing
That changed everything.

Premise/plot: Choosing Brave is a picture book biography of Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, and perhaps the mother (or godmother) of the Civil Rights Movement. Because of the incredibly, heavy subject matter, I'm thinking it is a picture book for older readers (upper elementary through adults). 

My thoughts: Choosing Brave is a powerful, compelling, beautiful, haunting, poignant biography written in verse. It does require a bit of 'bravery' to read it because the subject matter is so heartbreaking and rightly heavy. Each word, each phrase, each line was like a puzzle piece coming together to make an incredible picture. The recurring theme of Mamie choosing to do the harder thing, the braver thing because it was RIGHT thing gives readers much food for thought. 

Definitely recommended.
 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

African Town: Inspired by the True Story of the Last American Slave Ship. Irene Latham and Charles Waters. 2022. 448 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Be still, my children. Listen with your ears
and your heart. Our story starts with this
mark on my right cheek, these chipped teeth.
See? This is how you know I am who I say I am.
De town where I was born is called Bante.
It's nowhere near here, not in African Town, not
in Alabama. This town's way across de ocean,
on de west coast of Africa in de kingdom
of Dahomey. My family's home was a round,
two-story adobe with a terrace. Surrounded by hills,
about eight days' walk to de sea. Someday maybe
you will see de world de way I have seen it
in Bante. Then you will know how de sun
kisses de earth, melts like honey over de land--
it's no wonder I believed all of life would be
bright and sweet. No wonder it still shocks me
that de world can be so hard, so dark.
But that darkness, it brought me here.
It brought you here. This is our story.

Premise/plot: African Town is a verse novel based on or inspired by a true story. Long after the importation of slaves was illegal--though not slavery itself--one ship, the Clotilda, was used to smuggle in a shipment of slaves. The year was 1860. 

It is a verse novel that spans a little over four decades. It opens around 1859/1860 and closes around 1901. The poems alternate narrators...and in doing so alternates perspectives. Though by far the greatest representation are the men and women captured, enslaved, sold. Other narrators include white men in the slave trade, slave owners, and VERY VERY VERY oddly the ship Clotilda. 

It isn't "just" the story of African slaves. It is the story of how these last slaves bonded and formed a community--literally and figuratively. This is the story of the formation of African Town or Africatown.

My thoughts: Powerful. Compelling. Important. These are the words I'd use to describe this verse novel. It is a heavy novel in its subject matter. The characters--[loosely] based on real people--are well developed. The characters were easy to care about. I got swept up into this one. I knew a little bit about the Clotilda from previous reading. But this was an absorbing read. I thought the verse novel format was a perfect fit for this one.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Garvey in the Dark. Nikki Grimes. 2022. [October] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Different. The same... That's my answer if you ask how I am after the Invisible Beast broke into our house, and our world.

Premise/plot: Garvey (from Garvey's Choice) returns for a second book in Garvey in the Dark. Garvey's life has been looking up, up, and up. Things are good, really good. He's playing music; he's singing; he's got good, solid friends; he's beginning to have a strong, solid relationship with his father; he's comfortable in his own skin. But life is about to be turned upside down because of COVID-19. The book is set in the spring and summer of 2020. The poems process his experiences and emotions. 

My thoughts: I wonder if this was a book that *needed* to be written. In other words, did Nikki Grimes need to write this book in order to help process the messy-messy-mess that was 2020? Between COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, 2020 was just...there aren't even words. There are ten billion memes but no words. Garvey, our protagonist, seems an authentic narrator who is trying day by day to survive 2020 and make sense of it all. He's got questions, doubts, worries, concerns. The poems are very straight-forward and honest. Like when his dad has COVID and he's standing outside his dad's bedroom door just listening to make sure he's still breathing. The pain is almost touchable, if that makes any sense at all. 

It was not an easy read. I'm being fair, I think. I don't mean the poetry isn't wonderful. I don't. I mean reading these poems takes you right back in time and it's like you're living through 2020 a second time. Which has its pros and cons. On the one hand, I do think it's a time capsule of sorts. I also imagine that writing the poetry had its healing moments. A way to put into words your thoughts, emotions, etc. Also I think it could be a reminder that you can share your emotions and talk through your stuff. There's no reason that you *have* to keep it bottled up inside, hiding your pain and worries. Another point is that this will be an authentic way to share what it was like to future generations. On the other hand, it's like living through 2020 a second time. It took me RIGHT BACK.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Garvey's Choice. Nikki Grimes. 2016. 120 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When I was seven/ and crazy for Mr. Spock,/ a Star Trek lunch box/ was all I craved. Instead, Dad/ bought one blaring the logo/ of some football team/ I'd never heard of./ I shoved that thing in/ the coal black of my closet,/ then celebrated with cake.

Premise/plot: Garvey's Choice is a verse novel. (The verse is written in tanka.) Garvey is an overweight teen who'd much rather sing or read than play sports. There exists between father and son a gap that nothing seems to fill. At least at first. Garvey tries--unsuccessfully--to fill this gap with food. Garvey's dad may talk about sports--a lot--but I don't get the impression that he's actually cruel to his son. The two just aren't speaking the same love languages. 

In the novel, Garvey makes several choices. Will he choose to try out for chorus and risk rejection or humiliation? He ultimately decides that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. After all, he's already being teased by his classmates; he's already hating lunch time. What he finds out is that he's really talented at singing; and his singing not only makes him happy in the process, but makes others happy too. That and he makes a second friend. Another choice he makes regards his weight. Will he try to lose weight? Should he try to lose weight? How should he go about it? What can he change in his life to be healthier and happier?

This aspect of the verse novel was a bit iffier for me. I hated to see him get in the cycle of dieting in unhealthy ways, ways that are doomed to fail. I was yelling DON'T DO IT. JUST DON'T. 

My thoughts: I think the verses are authentic in that many, many, many, many people turn to food as a way to deal with emotions they don't know how to handle any other way. It's not the best way perhaps, but it is the easy way. I liked how singing took the place of food in some ways as a way to cope with the ups and downs of life.

One of the songs mentioned throughout the book is "Dance with My Father." I encourage you to give it a listen if you pick this one up.

One of my favorite poems: "Summer Lost and Found"

Stories are breadcrumbs.
Just follow the trail of books
and you will find me
lost among the galaxies
of scorched stars and ships to Mars. (4)

And here's another: "Alien"

Over breakfast, Dad
eyes me like an alien
never seen before.
Sometimes, I could swear that he's
hoping to make first contact. (17)

 My new thoughts: I first read this one in February 2017. I reread it in June 2022 because a sequel is coming!!! I am so excited to get another book starring Garvey!!! The poems still resonate. SO much can be communicated in just a few lines.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

And We Rise. Erica Martin. 2022. 160 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It's 1877 when
Jim Crow laws says it's
    acceptable
    legal
    lawful
to segregate Blacks
&
    whites
based on the color of
their skin.

And We Rise is a free verse poetry book on the Civil Rights Movement, centering on the 1950s and 1960s.
The subject matter is heavy--weighty. These poems may best be appreciated when read slowly allowing for absorption and digestion. If you rush through the poems, I think (some) of the power of these poems is lost. 

Free verse poems. Poetry isn't for everyone. Poems can add an extra step or two (or three) to the reading process. Poems have to be unpacked and interpreted. Sometimes you have to read between the lines, look at how the words are arranged on the page, take notice of SPACE, perhaps even take time to notice what is not being said directly. 

I don't know that this would be a good introduction to the Civil Rights Movement. I think other books might be best for introducing the subject. The poems may best be appreciated by those with at least a little familiarity with the subject. You need that background to better grasp, comprehend, appreciate the poems. 

This one could definitely be used to supplement a study of the Civil Rights movement. It is good to see the subject being presented in multiple formats--graphic novels, memoirs, biographies, poetry, and even to some extent fictional novels. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth about Paul Revere's Midnight Ride. Jeff Lantos. 2021. [August] 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence from the introduction: In the twenty-five years between 1856 and 1881, if you wanted to send a letter to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, all you had to do was put his name on the envelope, and the letter carrier would deliver it to his home at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

First sentence from the prologue: In the days, weeks, and months following Paul Revere's daring midnight ride, no one, it seemed, wanted to cheer about it. Heck, no one even wanted to acknowledge it.

Premise/plot: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Turns out, he lied! But why did he lie? Why did he twist history to suit his own poetical fancy? Jeff Lantos explains all as he works through the famous poem stanza by stanza telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Well, mostly, you get the idea!) It seems that Longfellow left out some bits that are crucial to understanding and appreciating the story--Lantos has added those back into the story.

My thoughts: After a brief introduction, the book opens with the full poem. If you haven't revisited the poem since your school days, it's well worth taking your time: reading and savoring the rhythm of it all. Lantos' book does a couple of things. First, it tells the true story of Paul Revere and his 'midnight ride.' It separates fact from fiction. Second, it places the poem into context. The poem was published in 1860. The country was on the brink of another war. Lantos seeks to examine Longfellow's CRAFT. Why did he make the choices he made? Stanza by stanza, Lantos highlights the author's workmanship and examines the question WHY.

It is packed with detail. I learned so much! It's a compelling story whether your interest is in HISTORY, POETRY, or writing. I enjoyed the main narrative. But I also loved the side bars!

I loved, loved, loved everything about this one! I loved the layout. It was beautiful work. It looks absolutely nothing like the nonfiction texts available when I was growing up. The text itself was well written--backed up with research and notes--but the narrative itself was compelling. Far from dry. I love that this book encourages readers to question, to dig deep into a text.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Favorite Poems of Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson. 1978. 160 pages. [Source: Family copy]

First sentence: Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed.

Premise/plot: This poem collection features some of Dickinson's poems originally published in Poems (1890) and Poems, Second Series (1891). It was edited by her two friends Mabel Loomis Todd and T.W. Higginson. There are four books: "Life," "Love," "Nature," and "Time and Eternity." Most of the poems are short.

The Mystery of Pain

Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it began, or if there were
A day when it was not.
It has no future but itself,
Its infinite realms contain
Its past, enlightened to perceive
New periods of pain.

My thoughts: I read this in one sitting. It is a book that I've seen about the house for as long as I can remember but have never read. It has my mom's name in it; but if she has been a lover of poetry, she's kept it a pretty good secret.

I like some poems some of the time. Poetry isn't my go-to genre. There are poets that I do tend to love. But more often than not, poetry just doesn't move me, move me like it's supposed to do.

There were definite phrases in some of her poems that nudged me, that made me think. But usually by the end of the poem, I was like I *thought* for a brief flash I was getting the poem and understood it, but then I blinked and lost it.

I think this collection does showcase some of her most famous poems. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Goblin Market. Christina Rossetti. 1862. 48 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence:

Morning and evening

Maids heard the goblins cry:

“Come buy our orchard fruits,

Come buy, come buy:

Premise/plot: Laura and Lizzie are sisters. Lizzie warns Laura time and time and time again NOT to be tempted by the goblin men nor the wares they sell--their forbidden fruit. But Laura, well, Laura is mightily tempted and gives in despite the warnings, perhaps because of the warnings. At first, nothing tastes so wonderful and amazing as that forbidden fruit, but it comes at high cost--her very life is in danger. Can Lizzie find a way to save her sister? Or will she succumb like others before her now resting in the graveyard?

My thoughts: I have read this multiple times. Whenever I remember it, I remember it fondly. The poem is lovely. The language is exquisite. 

Laugh’d every goblin

When they spied her peeping:

Came towards her hobbling,

Flying, running, leaping,

Puffing and blowing,

Chuckling, clapping, crowing,

Clucking and gobbling,

Mopping and mowing,

Full of airs and graces,

Pulling wry faces,

Demure grimaces,

Cat-like and rat-like,

Ratel- and wombat-like,

Snail-paced in a hurry,

Parrot-voiced and whistler,

Helter skelter, hurry skurry,

Chattering like magpies,

Fluttering like pigeons,

Gliding like fishes,—

Hugg’d her and kiss’d her:

Squeez’d and caress’d her:

Stretch’d up their dishes,

Panniers, and plates:

“Look at our apples

Russet and dun,

Bob at our cherries,

Bite at our peaches,

Citrons and dates,

Grapes for the asking,

Pears red with basking

Out in the sun,

Plums on their twigs;

Pluck them and suck them,

Pomegranates, figs.”—

 It's an atmospheric read for this time of year that I recommend.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Tale of a Niggun. Elie Wiesel. Illustrated by Mark Podwal. 2020. [November] 64 pages. [Source: Review copy] [World War II; Holocaust; Poetry]

First sentence: A ghetto, somewhere in the East, during the reign of night, under skies of copper and fire. The leaders of the community, good people all, courageous all, fearing God and loving His Law, came to see the rabbi who has cried and cried, and has searched darkness for an answer with such passion that he no longer can see. It’s urgent, they tell him, it’s more than urgent; it’s a matter of life or death for some Jews and perhaps all Jews.

Premise/plot: The Tale of a Niggun is a narrative poem by Elie Wiesel originally published circa 1978 within a larger collection of works honoring Rabbi Wolfe Kelman. It has newly been republished on its own--or soon will be published in November 2020.

The setting is a GHETTO in the midst of the second World War. The leaders are seeking an answer to an impossible question: should they supply the Nazis with a list of TEN names of people to be deported/taken? If they fail to give a list, then ANY could be taken or ALL could be taken. Perhaps every person will die as a result of not cooperating. Yet wouldn't it be murder to cooperate and help choose WHO dies? A rabbi reluctantly wrestles with this question seeking out the wisdom of his ancestors.

My thoughts: It's a quick read but super-super-super intense and masterful. It is written as a narrative poem. It may at first seem intimidating to the non-Jewish reader, BUT, a helpful glossary is provided in the back of the book that will prove super helpful.

if the enemy wishes to kill, let him kill—and do not tell him whom to kill. Your role, my young brother and colleague, the role of rabbi is to be with his Jews, not facing them. Should they be summoned by God or the enemy, should they choose to respond, do as they do, walk with them, pray with them or for them, howl with them, weep as they weep; share their anguish and their anger as you have shared their joy; see to it that the sacrifice imposed by the enemy unites his victims instead of separating them; as rabbi, there is only one call you must issue: Jews stay together, Jews stay together as Jews. 

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Did You Hear What I Heard? Kay Winters. Illustrated by Patrice Barton. 2018. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Breakfast is a flurry. Eggs in a hurry. People pop up like the toast.

Premise/plot: Kay Winters has written a collection of school-themed poems. This collection covers the whole school year--beginning to end. You'll find poems appropriate to share with students any time of year.

My thoughts: I liked this one. Poetry collections are interesting to review. Usually you find poems that you love and poems that are more meh. I definitely would say I found poems I enjoyed in this picture book. I didn't love each and every poem. But that's not really to be expected.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Bark in the Park! Poems for Dog Lovers. Avery Corman. Illustrated by Hyewon Yum. 2019. 48 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence:

Afghan Hound
Although he's noble and aloof,
He's still a dog, so he still says, "Woof!"

Basset Hound
For things she can smell,
She's a comer and goer.
She's much like a Beagle,
But longer and lower.

Beagle
The beagle is bent
On tracking a scent.
He follows his nose
wherever it goes.

 Premise/plot: A collection of poems about dogs/dog breeds. Each poem is short. Some poems are just two lines; other poems are all of four lines. All rhyme--for better or worse.

My thoughts: I like the idea of liking this one. I do. But sometimes I wish authors knew that poems don't always, always, always have to rhyme in order to be poetry. Sometimes poems come across as forced. You can always tell when a poem chooses a word just because--only because--it "rhymes."

That being said, there were definitely quite a few poems in this one that I really enjoyed.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Hebrew Melodies. George Gordon, Lord Byron. 1815/1824. 70 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: She walks in beauty like the night/ Of cloudless climes and starry skies,/ And all that's best of dark and bright/ Meet in her aspect and her eyes;/ Thus mellowed to the tender light/ Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

Premise/plot: Hebrew Melodies is a collection of poetry by Lord Byron first published in 1815. The poems were written to be set to music composed by Isaac Nathan. The first poem is perhaps one of Byron's best known poems, "She Walks In Beauty."

It seems some versions of Hebrew Melodies have twenty-eight poems, and other versions have thirty poems. The edition published in 1815 certainly did not have twenty-eight or thirty.  

My thoughts: Don't expect all the poems in Hebrew Melodies to be as wonderful as She Walks In Beauty. If you do, chances are you'll be disappointed with what you actually get.

Many of the poems have a melancholic almost fatalistic theme.

Did I "like" this collection? I am a more reluctant poetry enthusiast. I struggle with poetry. There are some poems that I do love, love, love. It is discovering poems that I do love that keeps me reading poetry instead of avoiding it. But I didn't really love this collection.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers. Illustrated by Luke Flowers. 2019. [March] Quirk. 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: 

Won't You Be My Neighbor
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

Premise/plot: Quirk is publishing the poetry of Mister Rogers. I'll give you a moment or two to squeal. Most of the pieces are by Fred Rogers. But quite a few are by Josie Carey with the music being by Fred Rogers. These poems--or lyrics if you prefer--are noted as such. The book contains pieces that you'd expect: "Won't You Be My Neighbor," "Everything Grows Together," "Many Ways To Say I Love You," "You Are Special," "I'm Proud of You," "It's You I Like," and "What Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel." But it also contains pieces that you've likely unfamiliar with. The songs that I did not know sometimes offered the most poetic food for thought.

I do not believe the book contains every poem--or song--by Mister Rogers. I can think of a handful it doesn't seem to include. (For example, "I'm Taking Care of You," "Look and Listen," "Peace and Quiet," "One and One are Two," "Everybody's Fancy."

This site seems to have a thorough listing of all the songs--including the ones from the operas. 

My thoughts: I LOVED this one. I especially loved the illustrations that were connected with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. For example, the illustration that goes with "It's You I Like" shows Mr. Rogers singing with a boy in a wheel chair. Adults most likely will make the connection to a very memorable episode. I'm not sure if children will be as familiar with the show. But whether your little one knows the shows or not--the words have a way of speaking for themselves. Some of them are timeless and WONDERFUL.

Excerpts from some of my favorites.

It's Good To Talk
People weren't born to be silent
Our tongues make wonderful sounds.
Just try a few phrases for practice
You'll see there are very few bounds.

Things Are Different
You never know the story
By the cover of the book.
You can't tell what a dinner's like
By simply looking at the cook.

Sometimes Isn't Always
Sometimes I DON'T feel like combing my hair.
I DON'T feel like washing my face sometimes.
Sometimes I DON'T feel like saying okay.
But sometimes isn't always.

Are You Brave?
Are you brave and don't know it?
Are you brave and can't tell?
Are you brave and just don't show it?
While others know it very well?
Are you brave and you wonder?
Are you brave and you doubt?

Then Your Heart Is Full of Love
Love is fragile as your tears.
Love is stronger than your fears.
When your heart can sing another's gladness
Then your heart is full of love.
When your heart can cry another's sadness
Then your heart is full of love.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein. Lita Judge. 2018. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

From the Prologue:

The Creature
Most people didn't believe Mary Shelley,
a teenage girl, unleashed me,
a creature powerful and murderous
enough to haunt their dreams.
They expected girls to be nice
and obey the rules.
They expected girls to be silent
and swallow punishment and pain.
She was cast out from society
because she loved a married man.
Her friends reviled her.
Her father banished her from his home.
But she did not hide.
She was not silenced.
She fought against the cruelty of human nature
by writing.
She conceived me.
I took shape like an infant,
not in her body, but in her heart,
growing from her imagination
till I was bold enough to climb out of the page
and into your mind.
Now Mary is the ghost
whose bones have turned to dust
and it is I who live on.
But hear her voice!
She wrote my story,
and now she will reach beyond the grave
and tell you her own. 

Premise/plot: This biography of Mary Shelley is written in free verse and features black and white illustrations from the author. Her story is told in nine parts--not counting a prologue and epilogue. The format of the book lends itself well to the drama--or melodrama--of Shelley's personal life. Judge does a good job placing her story within the larger context of the times in which she lived.

My thoughts: There have been MANY books published this year about Mary Shelley, and about the creation of Frankenstein. Some are for children; some are for young adults; some are for adults. The ones for children clean things up and focus on her writing and creativity. This one is for young adults. It isn't cleaned up.

Mary's background was radical for her times. Her mother--and to some extent her father--believed in free love (aka sexual freedom). Her father also--at one point at least--was a political radical. Mary was not raised to conform gently and neatly into a little box. She had opinions. She had passions. She had a strong will. Yet she could not escape--or at least not completely escape--the consequences of living out her beliefs. These consequences were largely social but also financial. Mentally, emotionally, Mary Shelley was strained. She endured. She survived. She persevered. But there was nothing easy or comfortable about her life or lifestyle. I'd say EXHAUSTING or DRAINING would sum it up well.

The book does focus on her creativity and imagination. But Shelley's talent is the only thing to catch my notice. Judge has done a great job in her storytelling.

Quotes:

I Am Seventeen
Already
I am daughter to a ghost
and mother to bones. (160)

Shadows Touching
At first, writing feels like falling
where there is nothing to hold on to
to keep from slipping off the edge of the world.
But then the dark presence of another begins to whisper
from the corners of my mind,
and his shadow grows and touches my own.
Together, we take one step toward finding a word,
and then another,
and another,
until the struggle drops away
and the only thing that is left
is everything that matters. (228)

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

For Every One. Jason Reynolds. 2018. Simon & Schuster. 112 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Dear Dreamer, this letter is being written from a place of raw honesty and love but not at all a place of expertise on how to make your dreams come true. I don't know nothing about that.

Premise/plot: For Every One is a poetic essay on the meaning of life. Is that an exaggeration? Maybe. It is a motivational--though realistic and honest--piece on ATTITUDE and PERSPECTIVE. If attitude and perspective don't play a major role in how you define the meaning of life, I don't know what does. Reynolds' piece is above all grounded in reality yet saturated in hope or optimism. This essay is written in verse.

My eyes
are swollen with exhaustion,
my body sputtering
on its way down,
but my dream
won't stop crying,
screaming
like a colicky
infant.
Sometimes I think
it needs to be changed.
Usually
It just needs to be fed.
So I feed it everything
I have.
And it feeds me everything
I have. (52-3)

My thoughts: I read this one twice. I really, really liked it. I hope it gets some love from readers of all ages.

The book celebrates the journey that all dreamers find themselves on. It's a journey that most--if not all--can relate to easily. It is a book for everyone. But even the author acknowledges that not every single book is for every single person. There are many books on dreams, on dreaming, on pursuing your dreams, on pursuing this evasive thing called SUCCESS. Not every book is a keeper. I hope this one is a keeper.



© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

I Am Loved. Nikki Giovanni. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan. 2018. Simon and Schuster. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:
Because
I wrote a poem
for you because
you are
my little boy
I wrote a poem
for you because
you are
my darling daughter
and in this poem
I sang a song
that says
as time goes on
I am you
and you are me
and that's how life
goes on

Premise/plot: I Am Loved is a collection of poems by Nikki Giovanni newly illustrated by Ashley Bryan.

My thoughts: I want to like poetry more than I actually like poetry. I wanted to enjoy this collection. I did. But with the exception of one or two poems, I didn't. The poems I did like were "Quilts" and "Three/Quarters Time." Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All books are subjective; perhaps poetry is even more so. You may enjoy this collection more than I did. (I hope you do!)

Personally, the lack of punctuation--and the lack of proper capitalization in some cases--bothered me way too much. I realize that poetry is ART. There is no one "right" way to do it.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World. Susan Hood. Illustrated by Selina Alko, Sophie Blackall, Lisa Brown, Hadley Hooper, Emily Winfield Martin, Oge Mora, Julie Morstad, Sara Palacios, LeUyen Pham, Erin K. Robinson, Isabel Roxas, Shadra Strickland, and Melissa Sweet. 2018. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

Premise/plot: Shaking Things Up is a nonfiction (biographical) poetry book celebrating remarkable women past and present. The fourteen women included are Molly Williams (first known female firefighter in the U.S.), Mary Anning (paleontologist), Nellie Bly (journalist), Annette Kellerman (athlete and designer/inventor of the modern swimsuit), Pura Belpre (Latina author/librarian), Frida Kahlo (artist), Jacqueline and Eileen Nearne (secret agents), Frances Moore Lappe (anti-hunger activist/author), Ruby Bridges (civil rights pioneer), Mae Jemison (first African American astronaut), Maya Lin (architect and sculptor), Angela Zhang (scientist and cancer researcher), Malala Yousafzai (youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize).

Each spread includes a biographical poem and is illustrated by a different artist. Just as there is variety in the women highlighted in the book, the poems are written in a variety of styles or forms.

My favorite poem:

TURNING THE TIDE
There once was a mermaid queen,
lovely and lithesome and lean,
who swam afternoons
without pantaloons--
her swimsuit was deemed obscene!
The lady was quickly arrested.
Unafraid, she calmly protested:
Who can swim fifty laps
wearing corsets and caps?
Her statement could not be contested.
She streamlined the suit of the day
and invented our water ballet.
By changing the fashions
she fueled swimming passions
as women made waves in the spray. (15)

My thoughts: I really loved this one overall! Some of the women were completely new to me. I was glad that the back matter included a suggested reading list for each woman. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys nonfiction OR poetry OR inspirational reads in general.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews